Connector apparatus

ABSTRACT

A connector apparatus for a card-like data processing medium comprises a frame (12) having opposing side walls (16a, 16b) that define a storage space (24a, 24b) of the connector apparatus. One end of the frame (12) defines an insertion inlet (22) for inserting a card-like data processing medium (30) in the storage space. A header containing a terminal array (32) is coupled to the end of the frame opposite the insertion inlet (22). An ejection mechanism (40a, 40b) is provided for ejecting the card-like data processing medium (30) from the storage space by manual operation of a push rod (48) that is coupled to the ejection mechanism (40). Means responsive to a control signal are provided for automatically decoupling the push rod (48) from the ejection mechanism to desable the ejection mechanism.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector apparatus for mounting, inan electronic data processing device, a memory card or other card-likeelectronic data processing medium, such as a thin-type hard disc drivepackage.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A connector apparatus for connecting card-like data processing mediumsto an electronic device, such as a computer, is disclosed in JapaneseUtility Model Publication 4-52265. The connector apparatus includes arectangular housing having an insertion inlet at its front end and aplurality of male terminals at a rear end. A slide plate is arrangedover an upper surface of the housing and is slidable along a length ofthe housing from the front end to the rear end. The slide plate hashooks designed to engage the forward end of a card-like data processingmedium when the medium is inserted in the housing. A manual operationmember, such as a push rod, is mounted on one side of the housing and isslidable along the length of the housing. The slide plate and push rodare coupled together through a swing lever rotatably mounted on theupper plate of the housing. Movement of the push rod toward the rear endof the housing is translated through the swing lever into movement ofthe slide plate in the opposite direction. The connector apparatus istypically mounted in the casing of an electronic device such as apersonal computer or one of its peripheral devices. The push rod usuallyprotrudes from the casing of the computer to allow manual operationthereof.

When a card-like data processing medium is inserted in the housing ofthe connector device and pushed toward the male terminals, the femaleterminals disposed in the front end of the card-like data processingmedium electrically connect to the male terminals of the connectorapparatus so that the card-like data processing medium is connected tothe electronic device. To eject the card-like data processing medium,the push rod is pushed toward the rear end of the housing causing theslide plate to move in the opposite direction, i.e., toward theinsertion inlet. As the slide plate moves toward the insertion inlet,the hooks on the slide plate engage the forward end face of thecard-like data processing medium thereby disconnecting the card-likedata processing medium and urging it backward out of the connectorapparatus.

Inadvertent ejection or removal of a card-like data processing mediumfrom such a connector apparatus can adversely affect the operation of anelectronic apparatus, such as a computer, to which the connector isattached. Accordingly, there is a need for a connector apparatus thatprevents inadvertent removal and/or ejection of a card-like medium fromthe connector apparatus. The present invention satisfies this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a connector apparatus for acard-like data processing medium. According to the present invention,the connector apparatus comprises a frame having opposing side wallsspaced at an interval substantially equal to the width of the card-likedata processing medium. The opposing side walls define a storage space.One end of the frame defines an insertion inlet for inserting thecard-like data processing medium into the storage space. A header iscoupled to the end of the frame opposite the insertion inlet. The headercontains a terminal array for electrically connecting with a matingterminal array disposed in a forward end face of the card-like dataprocessing medium. The connector apparatus further comprises an ejectionmechanism for ejecting the card-like data processing medium from thestorage space of the connector apparatus. The ejection mechanismincludes a push rod that is coupled to the ejection mechanism formanually operating the ejection mechanism.

In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the connectorapparatus further comprises means responsive to a control signal forautomatically decoupling the push rod from the ejection mechanismthereby disabling the ejection mechanism. Preferably, the ejectionmechanism comprises a slide plate movably mounted on the frame andoperable to slide toward and away from the header, and a swing leverrotatably mounted on the connector apparatus and arranged to rotate in aplane parallel to the plane of the slide plate. One end of the pivotlever is coupled to the slide plate and the other end of the pivot leveris detachably coupled to the push rod. The slide plate has ejectionhooks adapted to engage with the forward end face of the card-like dataprocessing medium when it is inserted in the storage space. Movement ofthe push rod toward the header is transmitted through the swing leverinto movement of the slide plate toward the insertion inlet. With thistype of ejection mechanism, the push rod decoupling means operates todecouple the push rod from the end of the swing lever, thereby disablingthe ejection mechanism.

According to another feature of the present invention, the connectorapparatus may comprise, alone or in combination with the push roddecoupling means, a card locking member movably mounted on at least oneof the side walls proximate the insertion inlet of the frame. The cardlocking member is responsive to a force applied thereto to move at leastpartially into the insertion inlet, thereby preventing the card-likedata processing medium from being withdrawn from the storage space ofthe connector apparatus. A drive means is provided that responds to acontrol signal for automatically and selectively applying the requisiteforce to the card locking member. Preferably, the drive means comprisesa solenoid having a drive shaft adapted to move lengthwise of the oneside wall, and at least one transmission arm coupled between the driveshaft and the card locking member for transmitting movement of the driveshaft into movement of the card locking member. In various embodimentsdescribed hereinafter, the card locking member may alternativelycomprise a cam, a pivot arm or a locking arm.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the connectorapparatus may comprise means for selectively and automatically latchingthe push rod of the ejection mechanism in place to prevent manualoperation of the push rod, thereby disabling the ejection mechanism.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will becomeevident hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector apparatus according toa first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the connector apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a memory card for use with theconnector apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of various components of theconnector apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating further details of the cardremoval preventing means of the connector apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating further details of the connectorapparatus of FIGS. 1 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing further details of upper and lowertransmission arms of the connector apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 4.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a push rod engagement/disengagementmechanism in accordance with a second embodiment of the connectorapparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a card removal preventing meansin accordance with a third embodiment of the connector apparatus of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view illustrating a memory card removalpreventing means in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the connectorapparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating the preventing means of FIG. 11in a latched position.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a connector apparatus inaccordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view showing ends of a pair of pushrods in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a transmission arm and a movingpart in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing details of the transmission arm inrelation to the moving part and the pair of the push rods in accordancewith a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective view of the moving part in accordancewith a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged perspective view of the second contact switch inrelation to the transmission arm in accordance with a fifth embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged perspective view of bifurcating ends of thetransmission arm in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the bifurcating transmissionarm and a cam/projection accordance with a fifth embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a connector apparatus inaccordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a connector apparatus in accordance with a first embodimentof the present invention. A connector apparatus of the presentembodiment can hold two card-like data processing mediums therein. Theconnector apparatus has a substantially rectangular frame 12 and aheader 14 connected to the rear end of the frame 12. The frame 12 has apair of opposing side walls 16a, 16b spaced at an interval substantiallyequal to the width of a card-like data processing medium. Top and bottomplates 18a, 18b may be coupled to the frame 12. A front end of the framedefines an insertion inlet 22 for receiving memory cards. A supportplate 16c extends outwardly along side wall 16b to support componentparts (described hereinafter) for operating the connector apparatus.Mounting members 10 are provided to facilitate mounting of the connectorapparatus in an electronic data processing device, such as a personalcomputer or a peripheral device.

In the present embodiment, the connector apparatus is intended for usein a data processing device that has the ability to provide one or morecontrol signals for controlling the connector apparatus in accordancewith a control program, as described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 2,the storage space of the housing 12 may be divided horizontally intoupper and lower storage spaces 24a and 24b. One card-like dataprocessing medium, such as a memory card, can be inserted in each of theupper and lower storage spaces 24a and 24b.

Referring to FIG. 3, a memory card 30 typically comprises a card-likepackage containing a memory element, such as a random access memory(RAM) or read only memory (ROM). The front end face of the memory card30 typically has a female terminal array 32 adapted to mate withcorresponding male terminal arrays 26a, 26b of the connector apparatus.When a nonvolatile RAM is used as the memory element in a memory card30, the card 30 can be withdrawn from a data processing device afterdata stored on the card 30 has been transferred to the data processingdevice. It is understood that any type of card-like data processingmedium can be employed with the connector apparatus of the presentinvention, and the present invention is not limited to use with memorycards. For example, the card-like data processing medium may comprise athin-type hard disc drive or may perform an I/O function.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, guide slots 28a, 28b are formedlengthwise along the inner surfaces of the respective side walls 16a,16b to guide memory cards into and out of the upper and lower storagespaces 24a, 24b. The header 14 has two sets of conductive male terminalarrays. An upper male terminal array 26a is disposed in the upperstorage space 24 for connecting to the female terminal array 32 of amemory card 30 inserted in the upper storage space 24a. Similarly, alower male terminal array 26b is disposed in the lower storage space 24bfor connecting to memory cards inserted in that storage space.

The connector apparatus has an upper ejection mechanism 40acorresponding to the upper storage space 24, and a lower ejectionmechanism 40b corresponding to the lower storage space 26. The upper andlower ejection mechanisms 40a and 40b are basically similar to eachother in terms of their configuration. In the Figures, the letter "a" isadded to reference numerals representing constituent elements of theupper ejection mechanism 40a, and the letter "b" is added to referencenumerals representing constituent elements of the lower ejectionmechanism 40b. Only the upper ejection mechanism 40a is described below,it being understood that, unless expressly stated otherwise, theoperation of the lower ejection mechanism is similar. Additionally, forconvenience illustration only, directions X₋, X₊, Y₋ and Y₊ are definedas illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a swing lever 42a is pivotally supported bya rotation shaft 44a on the upper plate 18a near the insertion inlet 22of the housing 12. The swing lever 42a is adapted to rotate about therotation shaft 44a. One end portion of the swing lever 42a comprises adownwardly bent claw 46a. The claw 46a is engageable with a cutout 50aon one end portion of a push rod 48a. The push rod 48a slides along theY direction in a guide 52a provided on the side wall 16b. A spring (notshown) may be used to facilitate the sliding motion of the push rod 48a.A tongue-like piece 54a is provided on the other end of the swing lever42a. The tongue-like piece 54a is set in slidable contact with theinside of a band-like slide guide 56a that is somewhat raised from thesurface of the upper plate 18a. The slide guide 56a is formed by, forexample, punching the upper plate 18a. When the claw 46a is engaged withcutout 50a, movement of the push rod 48a in the Y direction causes theswing lever 42a to rotate about the rotation shaft 44a along the uppersurface of the upper plate 18a.

Another claw 58a of the swing lever 42a projects below the lever 42a andtoward the upper plate 18a. Claw 58a may be formed by, for example,punching the swing lever 42a. The claw 58a engages a corresponding claw64 located on a base end section 64a of the slide plate 60a. Rotation ofthe swing lever 42a will therefore cause the slide plate 60a to move inthe Y_(+/-) direction. Thus, the swing lever 42a is coupled between thepush rod 48a and the slide plate 60a. Movement of the push rod in the Y₊direction will be transmitted through the swing lever 42a into movementof the slide plate in the opposite direction (Y₋), and vice versa.

Arms 66a extend from both side edges of the slide plate 60a toward theheader 14. Bent sections 68a are provided at the distal ends of each arm66a. The bent sections 68a are stepped relative to the slide plate 60aso that they ride in corresponding cutouts 70a formed in the upper plate18a. Similarly, the base end portion 64a of the slide plate 60a isstepped relative to the slide plate 60a so that it rides in anothercutout 72a provided in the upper plate 18a. The cutouts 70a and 72a ofthe upper plate 18a serve as slide guides to prevent the slide plate 60afrom moving in the X direction. The forward ends of the bent sections68a of the arms 66a are further bent to provide ejection hooks 74a. Thehooks 74a are intended to engage the forward end face of a memory card30 when the card is inserted into the storage space 24a of the connectorapparatus.

Referring still to FIGS. 1 and 4, the swing lever 42a has an elongatedhole 76a at its middle area where the rotation shaft 44a is looselyfitted. The elongated hole 76a allows the swing lever 42a to move in theX direction a distance equal to the difference between the length of thehole 76a and the diameter of the rotation shaft 44a. When the swinglever 42a is moved in the X₋ direction, the claw 46a of the swing lever42a engages with the cutout 50a of the push rod 48a and, therefore,reciprocatory movement of the push rod 48a will cause the swing lever42a to rotate. However, when the swing lever 42a is moved in the X₊direction, the claw 46a of the swing lever 42a will move out ofengagement with the cutout 50a on the push rod 48a and, as a result,movement of the push rod 48a will not be transmitted to the swing lever42a. Thus, the swing lever 42a can be disengaged, i.e., decoupled, fromthe push rod.

Referring mainly to FIG. 4, engagement and disengagement of the swinglever 42a is performed by an L-shaped plate 78a supported on the supportplate 16a. The L-shaped plate 78a has its middle portion 80a rotatablysupported on the support plate 16a so that it rotates in a horizontalplane over the support plate 16a. One end 79a of the L-shaped plate 78aengages with the claw 46a of the swing lever 42a, and the other end 81aof the L-shaped plate 78a is coupled to a transmission arm 82a. Thetransmission arm 82 slides in the Y direction over the support plate16c. A proximal end 83a of the transmission arm 82a is coupled to adrive shaft 86a of a solenoid 84a positioned at the rear end of thesupport plate 16c, as best shown in FIG. 1. The transmission arm 82a isbiased in the Y₋ direction by a spring 100.

Movement of the solenoid drive shaft 86a is transmitted through thetransmission arm 82a to the L-shaped plate 78a. A distal end 85a of thetransmission arm 82a is coupled to a proximal end 89a of a secondtransmission arm 88a. A cylindrical projection 90a projects from thelower surface of the second transmission arm 88a at its distal end 91a.As described hereinafter, the second transmission arm 88a, together withassociated component parts, comprises means for locking a memory card 30in the connector apparatus to prevent its removal.

Referring to FIG. 5, the second transmission arm 88a extends through alengthwise channel 93a formed in the side wall 16b of the connectorapparatus. A recess 92a formed in the side wall 16b communicates withthe channel 93a and has an opening 95a leading to the insertion inlet ofthe connector apparatus. A card locking member is movably mounted in therecess 92a. In the present embodiment, the card locking member comprisesa grooved cam 94a adapted to slide within the recess 92a in the X_(+/-)directions. A projection 97a on the cam 94a is adapted to extend throughthe opening 95a. As illustrated in FIG. 5, when a memory card 30 isinserted in the connector apparatus, the cam 94a can be moved in the X₋direction such that the projection 97a extends into the insertion inletand blocks the memory card 30, thereby preventing its removal. Thus, thememory card 30 is locked in the connector apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6,however, the cam 94a can be drawn back into the recess 92a (i.e., movedin the X₊ direction) such that the projection 97a is flush with theguide slot 28b of the side wall 16b and therefore does not preventremoval of the memory card 30.

The cam 94a has an angled groove 96a that engages the projection 90a ofthe second transmission arm 88a. Essentially, the projection 90a ridesin the groove 96a. The groove 96a is angled with respect to the X-Yplane such that the cam 94a is pushed toward the insertion inlet 22 bythe projection 90a when the second transmission arm 88a moves in the Y₋direction, and is pushed back into the recess when the arm 88a moves inthe Y₊ direction. Such an arrangement is sometimes referred to in theart as a box-cam.

Summarizing the above, when the drive shaft 86a of the solenoid moves inthe Y₋ direction, the first transmission arm 82a moves with it causingthe end 79a of the L-shaped plate 78a to swing away from the connectorapparatus. As the end 79a of the L-shaped plate swings away from theconnector apparatus, it pulls the swing lever 42a in the X₊ directionand causes the end 46a of the swing lever 42a to disengage (i.e.,decouple) from the slot 50a in the push rod 48a. At the same time, themovement of the first transmission arm 82a is transmitted directly tothe second transmission arm 88a. As the second transmission arm 88amoves in the Y₋ direction, the projection 90a on the underside of thearm 88a engages the angled groove 96a in the claw member 94a causing theclaw member 94a to move toward the insertion inlet such that theprojection 97a of the claw member 94a moves into the insertion inlet andblocks any memory card 30 from being removed. At this point, therefore,any memory card in the connector apparatus is locked in the apparatus byprojection 97a, and the push rod 48a is decoupled from the swing-lever42a, thereby disabling the ejection mechanism.

Activation of the solenoid 84a is controlled by first and second controlsignals, that may be generated by a control circuit (not shown) or byany other means. For example, the control signals may be provided at anoutput port of the host data processing device or computer. In thepresent embodiment, a first control signal causes the solenoid driveshaft 86a to move in the Y₋ direction, and a second control signalcauses the solenoid drive shaft 86a to move in the Y₊ direction. Apermanent magnet and spring (not shown) may be used to hold thetransmission arms 82a, 88a in place in the event one of the controlsignals is somehow cut off.

Preferably, the upper terminal array 26a in the upper storage space 24aof the connector apparatus includes two detection terminals that operateto detect electrical connection between a memory card and the upperterminal array 26a. When a memory card is manually pushed into the upperstorage space 24a, a program operating on the associated data processingdevice (i.e., computer) can detect connection of the memory card via thedetection terminals. The program may then cause a first control signalto be supplied to the solenoid 84a, thereby moving the drive shaft 86aof the solenoid 84a in the Y₋ direction. As explained above, this willcause the push rod 48a to be decoupled or disengaged from the swinglever 42a, thereby disabling the upper ejection mechanism. Additionally,the card locking member (e.g., cam 94a) will move at least partiallyinto the insertion port 22 such that the projection 97a blocks thememory card 30 and prevents it from being manually withdrawn.

When the memory card 30 is to be withdrawn, the program will cause asecond control signal to be supplied to the solenoid 84a, causing thedrive shaft 86a to move in the Y₊ direction back to its initialposition. As can be appreciated, movement of the drive shaft 86a back toits original position will re-engage the push rod 48a and swing lever42a and will move the cam 94a back into the recess 92a such that theprojection 97a is flush with the sidewall 16b and no longer blocks thepath of the memory card. The push rod 48a can then be operated in orderto eject the memory card 30.

Preferably, two switches are employed in connection with a suitableprogram to prevent operators from manually operating the push rod whenit is disengaged, and to confirm whether or not the solenoid 84a isoperating properly. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a first proximityswitch 98a is arranged on the support plate 16c near the free end 49a ofthe push rod 48a. The proximity switch 98a is positioned such that, whenthe swing lever 42a has been disengaged from the slot 50a on the pushrod 48a, and an operator thereafter pushes the push rod inward (i.e.,toward the header end of the connector apparatus) not realizing that thepush rod has been disengaged, the free end 49a of the push rod 48a willcontact the proximity switch 98a. A control circuit, or other means,operating in accordance with the program (not shown) can be coupled tothe proximity switch in order to sound an alarm or display an errormessage on an associated display screen (not shown) whenever theproximity switch 98a is activated. Thus, an operator can be warned thathe or she is attempting to operate the push rod 48a when it has beendisengaged (i.e., decoupled from the swing lever 42a).

A second switch 102a is positioned near the drive shaft 86a of thesolenoid 84a to detect whether or not the solenoid 84a is operatingproperly. Referring to FIG. 4, a contact 104a of the transmission arm82a engages, and therefore closes, the second switch 102a whenever thedrive shaft 86a of the solenoid 84a is moved in the Y₋ direction to itsextended position. When the drive shaft 86a moves in the Y₊ directionback to its initial position, the contact 104a moves away from theswitch 102a causing the switch 102a to re-open. Thus, the opening andclosing of the switch 102a can be detected in order to verify the properoperation of the solenoid.

The arrangement of the ejection mechanism, etc., for the lower storagespace 24b is substantially similar to that of the upper storage space24a described above. As shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid 84b of theejection mechanism for the lower storage space 24b is located next tothe solenoid 84a of the upper ejection mechanism. As shown in FIG. 7,due to the relative positions of the solenoids 84a and 84b, the shapesof the upper and lower transmission arms 82a and 82b are somewhatdifferent from each other.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a second embodiment of the push roddisengagement means and the memory card removal preventing means of thepresent invention. For convenience, only those aspects of the respectivemechanisms that differ from those of the first embodiment areillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. The second embodiment differs from thefirst embodiment in the following two ways. The first difference is thata push rod 48a', L-shaped plate 118a and coupling rod 110a are employedin the second embodiment in place of the push rod 48a, L-shaped plate78a and transmission arm 82a of the first embodiment. The seconddifference is that the swing lever 42a' does not have an elongatedopening 76a like the swing lever 42a of the first embodiment, andtherefore, the swing lever 42a' of the second embodiment is not capableof moving in the X direction. The swing lever 42a of the secondembodiment merely rotates about the rotation shaft 44a.

The coupling rod 110a is plate-like and is twisted at one end 111a sothat it lies substantially parallel to the plane of the connectorapparatus. The twisted end 111a of the coupling rod 110a is rotatablycoupled to the end of the push rod 48a using another rotation shaft112a. A hole 114a is opened in the vertical section of the coupling rod110a, and a claw 116a on one end of the swing lever 42a' extends throughthe hole 114a. As in the first embodiment, the other end of the swinglever 42a' is coupled to a slide plate 60a. During normal operation,movement of the push rod 48a' in the Y₊ direction is translated via theswing lever 42a' into movement of the slide plate 60a in the oppositedirection, thereby ejecting a memory card (not shown) inserted in theconnector apparatus.

As further shown in FIG. 8, the other end 113a of the coupling rod 110ais loosely coupled to one end 119a of the L-shaped plate 118a.Specifically, the end 119a of the L-shaped plate 118a is bent to form anarea of U-shaped cross section. The end 113a of the coupling rod 110a isthen inserted into the U-shaped area to provide a loose coupling betweenthe end 113a of the rod 110a and the end 119a of the L-shaped plate118a. The right-angle portion 121a of the L-shaped plate 118a ispivotally supported on the support plate 16c (not shown) and its otherend 123a is coupled to the drive shaft 86a of the solenoid 84a.

When a memory card is inserted in the connector apparatus, and the driveshaft 86a of the solenoid 84a is driven in the Y₋ direction, theU-shaped end 119a of the L-shaped plate 118a is rotated in the X₊direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the coupling rod 110a moves with the end119a of the L-shaped plate 118a causing the claw 116a of the swing lever42a' to disengage from the hole 114a of the coupling rod 110a.Consequently, the push rod 48a' is decoupled from the swing lever 42a'and therefore movement of the push rod 48a' will not be transmitted tothe swing lever 42a'. The ejection mechanism is therefore disabled.

When the drive shaft 86a of the solenoid 84a is driven in the Y₊direction back to its original position, the L-shaped plate 118a willrotate back to its initial position and the claw 116a of the swing lever42a' will again extend through and engage the hole 114a in the couplingrod 110a. Movement of the push rod 48a' will once again cause the swinglever 42a' to rotate.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The thirdembodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that the cardlocking member comprises a locking arm 127, rather than the cam 94a ofthe first embodiment. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 10, a straightcoupling arm 120, L-shaped coupling arm 122 and lateral coupling arm 124are sequentially connected between the drive shaft 86a' of the solenoid84a' and the locking arm 127. The respective coupling arms are coupledtogether with rotation shafts 126 which are not fixed to the supportplate 16c. An intermediate portion of the L-shaped coupling arm 122 isrotatably journalled by a rotation shaft 128 that is fixed to thesupport plate 16c. Thus, while the rotation shaft 128 is stationary, therotation shafts 126 move with their respective coupling arms.

When the drive shaft 86a' of the solenoid 84a is moved in the Y₋direction, that motion is transmitted through the coupling arms 120, 122and 124 to the locking arm 127. As shown, this causes a projection 130on the forward end of the locking arm 127 to move in the direction ofthe arrow 132. As a result, the projection 130 moves at least partiallyinto the insertion inlet where it blocks the end of a memory card 30 andprevents its removal.

When the drive shaft 86a' of the solenoid 84a' moves in the Y₊ directionback to its original position, the locking arm 127 moves back to itsinitial position (indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 10) such that theprojection 130 no longer blocks the memory card 30. Thus, in thisposition, the memory card can be removed from the connector apparatus.It is understood that a separate, but similar set of coupling andlocking arms would be provided for the lower storage space 24b.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Theconnector apparatus of the fourth embodiment is similar to that of thefirst embodiment except that the means for locking a card in theconnector apparatus differs from the first embodiment in the followingtwo ways. First, the forward end of the second transmission arm 140 hasa semi-spherical projection 144 rather than the cylindrical projection90a of the first embodiment. Secondly, in the fourth embodiment, thecard locking member comprises a pivot arm 142 instead of the cam 94a ofthe first embodiment.

The pivot arm 142 is substantially L-shaped in configuration and isrotatably mounted within the recess 92a using a rotation shaft 146. Thepivot arm has first and second ends 148, 150 that extend from therotation shaft in opposite directions and at a slight angle to eachother. Specifically, the first end 148 bends slightly toward thetransmission arm 140.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the transmission arm 140 is in its initialposition, the projection 144 of the transmission arm 140 engages thefirst end 148 of the pivot arm 142 causing the second end 150 to remainsubstantially within the recess 92a. As shown in FIG. 12, however, whenthe transmission arm 140 moves in the Y₋ direction (in response tomovement of the solenoid drive shaft 86a), the projection 144 on thetransmission arm 140 engages the back surface of the second end 150 ofthe pivot arm 142 causing that end 150 to move toward the opening 95a inthe side wall 16b. When the pivot arm 142 is in the position illustratedin FIG. 12, a projection 152 on the second end 150 of the pivot arm 142extends through the opening 95a and into the insertion inlet 22 of theconnector apparatus, thereby blocking a memory card 30 inserted in theapparatus and preventing its removal. When the transmission arm 140moves back to its initial position (i.e., FIG. 11), the projection 144will again engage the first end 148 of the pivot arm 142 causing thesecond end 150 to rotate back into the recess 92a. The memory card 30can then be removed from the connector apparatus.

FIGS. 13-20 show a fifth embodiment of the connector apparatus accordingto the present invention. The fifth embodiment as shown in FIG. 13 issimilar to that of the first embodiment except that the fifth embodimentutilizes only one solenoid 84 and two contact switches 65 and 53.Despite a smaller number of parts, the fifth embodiment performs almostthe same functions as the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, a swing lever 42a of the fifth embodiment does nothave an elongated hole 76a of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 4.Since the swing lever 42a of the fifth embodiment is pivotally supportedby a rotation shaft 44a on a top plate 18a, the swing lever does notmove in the X₊ or X₋ direction.

FIG. 14 shows that instead of a cutout 50a of the first embodiment, apush rod 48a of the fifth embodiment has a through hole 51a, which iselongated on the Y axis. A downwardly bent claw 46a of the swing lever42a engages the through hole 51a, and the width of the though hole 51ais larger than that of the bent claw 46a by Δ1 and Δ2 along the Y axis.Thus, when the push rod 48a is pushed inward in the Y₊ direction, thepush rod 48a moves a distance of Δ1 before an inside wall of the throughhole 51a contacts a lateral surface of the bent claw 46a on the Y₋ side.Similarly, a lower push rod 48b also has an elongated through hole 51b,and the lower swing lever 42b faces the upper swing lever 42a andengages the through hole 51b.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show that a first contact switch 53 is located on thebottom surface of a support plate 16c. When either of the push rods 48a,48b is pushed in, the switch 53 is closed via a moving part 55.

FIG. 17 shows the moving part 55 comprises a H-shaped part 57 disposedon the X₋ side of a short part 59, located adjacent to the H-shaped part57 on the X₊ side. In a preferred embodiment, the H-shaped part 57 andthe short part 59 are molded as a single plastic piece. Since both endsof the H-shaped part 57 have a groove along the X₊₋ directions andaccept an edge of the support plate 16c, the moving part 55 slides alongthe X₊₋ directions. Another groove 65 is formed on a top surface of theH-shaped part 57 along the Y₊₋ directions as well as the X₊₋ directions.A protrusion 69 of a transmission arm 67 engages the groove 65 as shownin FIG. 16. As the protrusion 69 moves in the groove 65 in the Y₊direction, the moving part 55 moves in the X₋ direction. Conversely, asthe protrusion 69 moves in the groove 65 in the Y₋ direction, the movingpart 55 moves in the X₊ direction.

The first contact switch 53 is located on a bottom surface of a supportplate 16c, and an edge 61 on the Y₊ side practically touches the firstcontact switch 53. When a knob 53a of the first contact switch 53 abutsan edge of the short part 59 on the Y₊ side and the moving part 55moves, the short part 59 contacts the first contact switch 53 on the Y₊side. However, an idle space 61a between the edge of the H-shaped part61 to the short part 59 absorbs an initial movement of the moving part55. In order to close the first contact switch 53 by pushing the knob53a, more than the initial contact of the moving part 55 is necessary.

When the moving part 55 moves towards the X₊ direction, one surface ofthe short part 59 faces the knob 53a of the first contact switch 53 asshown in FIG. 13. Accordingly, the short part 59 of the moving part 55is positioned within an operating area of ends of the push rods, 48a,48b. When either of the push rods 48a, 48b is pushed in, the end of thepush rod abuts the short part 59, which prevents the push rod fromfurther advancement. That is, the push rods 48a, 48b are prevented frommoving the swing levers 42a, 42b to eject a memory-card. As shown inFIG. 14, during the above described operation, the push rods 48a, 48bmove over the distance of Δ1 in the Y₊ direction. This Δ1 movement has asufficient force and distance to causes the short part 59 to activatethe first contact switch 53. In this context where the short part 59blocks the push rods 48a, 48b, an information process apparatus caninterpret the activation of the first contact switch 53 as an operator'saccidental push of the push rods 48a, 48b.

On the other hand, when the moving part 55 moves towards the X₋direction, one surface of the short part 59 does not face the knob 53aof the first contact switch 53. Accordingly, the short part 59 of themoving part 55 is positioned outside an operating area of ends of thepush rods, 48a, 48b. Under this condition, when either push rod 48a or48b is pushed in, a corresponding end of the pushed rod 48a or 48badvances in the Y₊ direction without an interference of the short part59. Since the push rods 48a, 48b respectively move the swing levers 42a,42b, a memory card is ejected.

FIG. 15 shows that a second contact switch 66 is disposed on a bottomsurface of a support plate 16c while a solenoid 84 is placed on a topsurface of the support plate 16c. A transmission arm 67 is connected tothe solenoid 84 via a drive shaft 86a at one end. Thus, in the fifthembodiment, only one solenoid is shared between the upper and lowerstorage spaces 24a and 24b.

FIG. 18 shows an enlarged view of the second contact switch 66. When amemory card is inserted, an information processing apparatus detects acompletion of the insertion and sends a corresponding signal accordingto a predetermined software program. Upon receiving this signal, thesolenoid 84 forwards the drive shaft 86a so as to push the transmissionarm 67 in the Y₋ direction. As the transmission arm 67 moves, a shoulderarea 71 contacts a contact area 66a and activates the second contactswitch 66, which in turn causes the information processing apparatus toinvoke the disable mode for ejecting a memory-card. In the disable mode,the push rods 48a, 48b are inoperative to move the swing levers 42a, 42band a cam 73 has advanced its projections 73b as will be fully describedlater. Although not shown in a figure, the disable mode is reversed byan operator's input command via a key board. Upon the command, thesolenoid 84 retracts the drive shaft 86a, causing the second contactswitch 66 to be deactivated, and the projection 73 is withdrawn. As aresult, the push rods 48a, 48b are again enabled for ejecting amemory-card.

FIG. 19 shows an end of the transmission arm 67, which is connected tothe solenoid 84 via the drive shaft 86a for movement in the Y direction.The transmission arm 67 drives both the second contact switch 66 and theprojection 73. The end of the transmission arm 67 is forked and has apair of protrusions 69 for guiding the moving part 55.

FIG. 20 shows a cam 73 which prevents an inserted memory-card from beingejected and comprises a pair of card retaining projections 73b and apair of grooves 73a. Although FIG. 20 does not show, the cam 73 islocated in a recess similar to the recess 92a which accepts theprojection 94a in the first embodiment, the recess formed in the sidewall 16b communicating with the channel 92a and has an opening 95aleading to the insertion inlet of the connector apparatus. The operationof the cam 73 is substantially identical to that of the cam 94a of thefirst embodiment. The difference between the first and fifthembodiments, however, includes that a pair of projections 73b in thefifth embodiment is branched from the common cam 73 and that the commoncam 73 in the fifth embodiment has a groove on a top surface as well asa bottom surface to guide a pair of the protrusions 69 on thetransmission arm 67. This structure in the fifth embodiment allowssimultaneous disablement or enablement of both upper and lower storagespaces 24a and 24b.

Upon detection of an inserted memory card in the upper and lower storagespaces 24a and 24b, an information processing apparatus activates thesolenoid 84 according to predetermined software to move a transmissionarm 67 in the Y₋ direction. As a result, the moving part 55 disables thepush rods 48a, 48b. The transmission arm movement via the cam 73 and thegrooves 73a also causes the projections 73b to extend into the insertioninlet and prevents the memory card 30 from being ejected. Lastly, thesame transmission arm movement activates the second contact switch 66,which sends a signal indicating the disable mode to the informationprocessing apparatus. In the disable mode, to eject the insertedmemory-card, an operator can input a command via a key board to theinformation processing apparatus to overcome the blocked ejection. Inresponse to the command, predetermined software in the informationprocessing apparatus activates the solenoid 84, which moves thetransmission arm in the Y₊ direction to cause the moving part 55 and theprojection 73 to move in the X₋ direction for the enable mode. The sametransmission arm movement deactivates the second contact switch 66,which send another signal indicating the enable mode to the informationprocessing apparatus.

Although the use of two memory-cards is shown in conjunction with thefifth embodiment, only one memory-card can be used for this embodimentprovided that appropriate changes are made to the software.

The fifth embodiment realizes a cost reduction and its simplifiedmanufacturing process due to a fewer number of contact switches andsolenoids in the fifth embodiment than in the first embodiment. Inaddition, since the enablement or disablement operations are handled bythe same mechanism for the two memory-cards, it is easy for a user tooperate the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 21 shows a connector apparatus in accordance with a sixthembodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 21, the same referencenumerals are employed to designate parts or elements corresponding tothose shown in the first embodiment, unless expressly stated otherwise.For convenience of illustration only, the header 14 has been omittedfrom the drawing in FIG. 21.

The sixth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that inplace of the solenoid driven push rod decoupling mechanism, a motorizedlatch mechanism is provided for latching and unlatching the push rod 48ato prevent operation of the push rod 48a at appropriate times. Unlikethe first embodiment, the connector apparatus of the sixth embodimentdoes not require a support plate (e.g. support plate 16c of FIGS. 1 and4).

Referring to FIG. 21, the connector apparatus of the sixth embodimentcomprises upper and lower push rod latching mechanisms that correspondto the upper and lower storage spaces 24a, 24b, respectively. The upperand lower latching mechanisms are of substantially the sameconfiguration. In FIG. 21, a subscript "a" is attached to referencenumerals representing the constituent elements of the upper latchingmechanism, and a subscript "b" is attached to reference numeralsrepresenting the constituent elements of the lower latching mechanism.Element numerals that have no subscripts represent elements that arecommon to both the upper and lower latching mechanisms. For simplicity,only the upper latching mechanism will be explained hereinafter; itbeing understood that the lower latching mechanism operates issubstantially identical to the upper latching mechanism.

As shown, the upper latching mechanism comprises a swing arm 162a thatis rotatably coupled to the side wall 16a about a shaft 160a. A firstend 163a of the swing arm 162a is biased in the X₋ direction by a spring164a that is fixed to the side wall 16a. An engaging claw 166a is formedon the opposite end of the swing arm 162a.

An upper push rod 62a is disposed in a guide 170 and is operable toslide back and forth in the Y_(-/+) direction. As in the previousembodiments, the push rod 62a is coupled to one end of a swing lever 42arotatably mounted on the connector apparatus. However, in thisembodiment, the end of the swing lever 42a is more permanently coupledto the push rod 62a. Moreover, unlike the first embodiment, the swinglever 42a of the present embodiment does not have an elongated hole 76aand therefore cannot move in the X direction. The other end of the swinglever 42a is coupled to a slide plate 60a. As in the previousembodiments, movement of the push rod in one direction (i.e., Y₊ or Y₋)is transmitted through the swing lever 42a into movement of the slideplate 60a in the opposite direction.

A cutout 168a is formed in the far end 63a of the upper push rod 62a.The cutout 168a is positioned such that it engages with the claw 166a ofthe swing arm 162a. When the claw 166a of the swing arm 162a is engagedwith the cutout 168a, the push rod 62a cannot move in the Y direction.Thus, the push rod 62a is "latched" in place, and the ejection mechanismis therefore disabled.

An electric motor 172 is disposed near the rear end of the connectorapparatus. A substantially semi-cylindrical member 174 is mounted on thedrive shaft of the motor 172, and is positioned proximate the ends 163a,163b of the upper and lower swing arms 162a, 162b, respectively. Thedrive shaft of the motor can be driven in both clockwise CW andcounter-clockwise CCW directions.

When the semi-cylindrical member 174 is rotated in the clockwise CWdirection, the upper side end face of the semi-cylindrical member 174pushes against the first end 163a of the upper swing arm 162a causingthe swing arm to rotate about its rotation shaft 160a. As a result, theopposite end of the swing arm 162a moves away from the side wall 16b ofthe connector apparatus, and the claw 166a disengages from the cutout168a of the push rod 62a. At this point, the push rod is "unlatched" andis free to move in the Y direction. Similarly, the lower push rod 62bcan be unlatched by rotating the semi-cylindrical member 174 in theopposite direction. Like the solenoids 84a, 84b of the previousembodiments, the motor 172 can be driven by suitable control signalsprovided by a control circuit (not shown) or some other source inaccordance with a program executed by the data processing device (e.g.,computer) to which the connector apparatus is attached. As can beappreciated, this embodiment eliminates the need to decouple the pushrod from the swing lever.

As the foregoing illustrates, the present invention is directed to aconnector apparatus that includes means for decoupling a push rod fromits associated ejection mechanism in order to disable the ejectionmechanism. Additionally, means for locking a memory card in theconnector apparatus may be provided to prevent manual removal of thecard. In another embodiment of the present invention, the connectorapparatus may include means for selectively latching the push rod inplace to prevent operation of the ejection mechanism. It is understoodthat changes may be made to the embodiments described above withoutdeparting from the broad inventive concepts thereof. For example,although only two storage spaces are present in the embodimentsdescribed above, more storage spaces can be added by increasing theheight of the frame 12. Alternatively, a connector apparatus inaccordance with present apparatus can be constructed with only onestorage space, if desired. Moreover, although the exemplary card-likedata processing medium of FIG. 3 is described herein as a "memory card",it is understood that the present invention is not limited to card-likedata processing mediums that perform memory functions. Rather, any typeof card-like data processing medium can be employed, such as, forexample, a thin-type hard disc drive or an I/O function card.Accordingly, this invention is not limited to the particular embodimentsdisclosed, but is intended to cover all modifications that are withinthe scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector apparatus for a card-like dataprocessing medium, said connector apparatus comprising:a frame havingopposing side walls spaced at an interval substantially equal to thewidth of said card-like data processing medium, said opposing side wallsdefining a storage space, one end of said frame defining an insertioninlet for inserting the card-like data processing medium into thestorage space; a header coupled to the end of the frame opposite theinsertion inlet, said header containing a terminal array forelectrically connecting with a mating terminal array disposed in aforward end face of the card-like data processing medium; an ejectionmechanism for ejecting the card-like data processing medium from thestorage space of said connector apparatus, said ejection mechanismhaving a push rod coupled thereto for manually operating said ejectionmechanism; and means responsive to a control signal for automaticallydecoupling said push rod from said ejection mechanism thereby disablingthe ejection mechanism.
 2. The connector apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the ejection mechanism further comprises:a slide plate movablymounted on the frame and operable to slide toward and away from theheader, the slide plate having ejection hooks adapted to engage with theforward end face of the card-like data processing medium when it isinserted in the storage space; and a swing lever rotatably mounted onsaid connector apparatus and arranged to rotate in a plane parallel tothe plane of said slide plate, one end of the pivot lever being coupledto the slide plate and the other end of the pivot lever being detachablycoupled to said push rod, said push rod decoupling means being operativeto decouple the push rod from the end of the swing lever, therebydisabling the ejection mechanism.
 3. The connector apparatus of claim 1further comprising:a card locking member movably mounted on at least oneof said side walls proximate the insertion inlet, said card lockingmember being responsive to a force applied thereto to move at leastpartially into said insertion inlet, thereby preventing the card-likedata processing medium from being withdrawn from the storage space ofthe connector apparatus; and drive means responsive to a control signalfor automatically and selectively applying said force to said cardlocking member.
 4. The connector apparatus of claim 3 wherein said drivemeans comprises:a solenoid having a drive shaft adapted to movelengthwise of said one side wall; and at least one transmission armcoupled between the drive shaft and the card locking member fortransmitting movement of the drive shaft into movement of the cardlocking member.
 5. The connector apparatus of claim 4 wherein the cardlocking member comprises a cam disposed in a recess formed in said oneside wall, said cam having a projection that extends into the insertioninlet when the cam is moved toward the insertion inlet in response tomovement of said at least one transmission arm.
 6. The connectorapparatus of claim 4 wherein the card locking member comprises a pivotarm rotatably mounted in a recess formed in said one side wall, one endof said pivot arm having a projection that rotates at least partiallyinto said insertion inlet in response to a force applied to the pivotarm by said at least one transmission arm.
 7. The connector apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the card locking member comprises a locking arm, andwherein said at least one transmission arm comprises a plurality ofcoupling arms coupled between the drive shaft and one end of the lockingarm, said coupling arms being adapted to transmit movement of the driveshaft into movement of the locking arm, said locking arm having aprojection that moves at least partially into the insertion inlet inresponse to movement of the drive shaft.
 8. The connector apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the card-like data processing medium contains anintegrated circuit.
 9. The connector apparatus of claim 1 wherein thecard-like data processing medium comprises a hard disc drive.
 10. Aconnector apparatus for a card-like data processing medium, saidconnector apparatus comprising:a frame having opposing side walls spacedat an interval substantially equal to the width of said card-like dataprocessing medium, said opposing side walls defining a storage space,one end of said frame defining an insertion inlet for inserting thecard-like data processing medium into the storage space; a headercoupled to the end of the frame opposite the insertion inlet, saidheader containing a terminal array for electrically connecting with amating terminal array disposed in a forward end face of the card-likedata processing medium; a card locking member movably mounted on atleast one of said side walls proximate the insertion inlet, said cardlocking member being responsive to a force applied thereto to move atleast partially into said insertion inlet, thereby preventing thecard-like data processing medium from being withdrawn from the storagespace of the connector apparatus; and drive means coupled to the cardlocking member and responsive to a control signal for automatically andselectively applying said force to said card locking member.
 11. Theconnector apparatus of claim 10 wherein said drive means comprises:asolenoid having a drive shaft adapted to move lengthwise of said oneside wall; and at least one transmission arm coupled between the driveshaft and the card locking member for transmitting movement of the driveshaft into movement of the card locking member.
 12. The connectorapparatus of claim 11 wherein the card locking member comprises a camdisposed in a recess formed in said one side wall, said cam having aprojection that extends into the insertion inlet when the cam is movedtoward the insertion inlet in response to movement of said at least onetransmission arm.
 13. The connector apparatus of claim 11 wherein thecard locking member comprises a pivot arm rotatably mounted in a recessformed in said one side wall, one end of said pivot arm having aprojection that rotates at least partially into said insertion inlet inresponse to a force applied to the pivot arm by said at least onetransmission arm.
 14. The connector apparatus of claim 11, wherein thecard locking member comprises a locking arm, and wherein said at leastone transmission arm comprises a plurality of coupling arms coupledbetween the drive shaft and one end of the locking arm, said couplingarms being adapted to transmit movement of the drive shaft into movementof the locking arm, said locking arm having a projection that moves atleast partially into the insertion inlet in response to movement of thedrive shaft.
 15. The connector apparatus of claim 10 wherein thecard-like data processing medium contains an integrated circuit.
 16. Theconnector apparatus of claim 10 wherein the card-like data processingmedium comprises a hard disc drive.
 17. A connector apparatus for acard-like data processing medium, said connector apparatus comprising:aframe having opposing side members spaced at an interval substantiallyequal to the width of said card-like data processing medium for guidingthe card-like data processing member into said connector apparatus; aheader coupled to said frame and containing a terminal array forelectrically connecting with a mating terminal array disposed in aforward end face of the cardlike data processing medium; an ejectionmechanism for ejecting the card-like data processing medium from saidconnector apparatus, said ejection mechanism having a push rod mountedon said connector apparatus for manually operating said ejectionmechanism; and means responsive to a control signal for selectivelypreventing movement of the push rod to disable the ejection mechanism.18. The connector apparatus of claim 17 wherein the card-like dataprocessing medium contains an integrated circuit.
 19. The connectorapparatus of claim 17 wherein the card-like data processing mediumcomprises a hard disc drive.
 20. The connector apparatus of claim 17wherein said means for preventing movement of the push rod comprises:amoving part mounted on said connector apparatus and adapted to move intoan operating area of the push rod to block movement of the pushrod; asolenoid having a drive shaft and being responsive to said controlsignal to move said drive shaft; and a transmission arm coupled betweensaid moving part and the drive shaft of said solenoid, said transmissionarm transmitting movement of said drive shaft into movement of saidmoving part into and out of the operating area of the push rod.
 21. Theconnector apparatus of claim 17 wherein said means for preventingmovement of the push rod comprises a swing arm rotatably mounted on saidconnector apparatus and having a first end and a second end, the secondend of said swing arm being operable to rotate into and out ofengagement with an end of said push rod.
 22. The connector apparatus ofclaim 21 wherein the second end of said swing arm is normally biasedinto engagement with said push rod, and wherein the means for preventingmovement of the push rod further comprises means responsive to a controlsignal for selectively applying a force to the first end of said swingarm to rotate the second end of said swing arm out of engagement withthe push rod, thereby releasing the push rod and enabling operation ofthe ejection mechanism.
 23. The connector apparatus of claim 21 whereinthe second end of said swing arm has a claw that engages with a cutouton said push rod, thereby latching the push rod and preventing movementthereof.